'Congress has gone back on its poll promises'

BJP says the MCC's moves have added to the problems of the people

Members of the Mangaluru BJP and corporators staged a protest condemning the administration of Congress party, in front of the Mangaluru City Corporation on Tuesday.

The protesters complaining that the pothole-ridden roads in the city and other areas in the MCC jurisdiction are causing inconvenience to the motorists, said that the officials concerned have shown interest to fill potholes and repair roads.

Addressing the protesters, Leader of the Opposition (BJP) in the Corporation Sudheer Shetty said, by introducing cess on solid waste management, the MCC has added to the problems of the citizens. The garbage is not collected properly in the City.

 “Though the Commissioner had stated that tax on advertisements can be increased by 300 per cent, the Standing Committee on Finance and Taxation has increased it by only 30 per cent, thus affecting the income generation of the MCC. The sewage in Attavara, Milagres and Kodialbail are let to flow on roads. Without the functioning of wet wells, the sewage is pumped and let into a water body near Jeppinamogaru,” he added.

Shetty accused that the MCC has decided to take over the charge of UGD systems taken up under the first phase of the KUDCEMP project funded by the Asian Development Bank despite the opposition raising objections.

“Under the first phase, works worth Rs 226 crore have been taken up which includes the work on 22 wet wells, 355-km long UGD lines, 16,815 manholes and four STPs. However, the STP at Madhava Nagar in Surathkal has not been maintained.  Even after inaugurating the STP at Jeppinamogaru, it is not operational. The work that was taken up under the ADB project has failed to connect sewer lines from houses of the residents to the manholes of the main sewage-carrying pipelines in several areas,” he added.

“The promises made by the Congress during the election on not to hike property tax under the self assessment scheme has not been fulfilled. The ruling Congress has failed to take up the works on footpaths and drainage as promised in the  election manifesto. The absence of footpaths has forced people to walk on roads, risking their lives,” he added.

Corporator Premananda Shetty said that groupism in the Congress has affected the administration in Mangaluru City Corporation. The development works have come to a standstill in the past one year. Without proper arrangement, the street vendors have encroached upon most of the footpaths.

He said that the internal fight among the Congress corporators was responsible for the delay in the completion of the renovation works at Town Hall in Mangaluru. “If the MCC fails to take up the repair works on roads, the BJP will stage series of protest in each ward of the MCC,” he warned.